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Statistical Atlas

Average Weather For Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Location

This report describes the typical weather at the Wilmington International Airport (Wilmington, North Carolina, United States) weather station over the course of an average year. It is based on the historical records from 1974 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.

Wilmington, North Carolina has a warm humid temperate climate with hot summers and no dry season. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by forests (60%), oceans and seas (30%), grasslands (4%), and croplands (4%).

Temperature

Over the course of a year, the temperature typically varies from 36Â°F to 89Â°F and is rarely below 23Â°F or above 95Â°F.

Daily Hours of Daylight and Twilight

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line), with various degrees of daylight, twilight, and night, indicated by the color bands. From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray): full daylight, solar twilight (Sun is visible but less than 6Â° from the horizon), civil twilight (Sun is not visible but is less than 6Â° below the horizon), nautical twilight (Sun is between 6Â° and 12Â° below the horizon), astronomical twilight (Sun is between 12Â° and 18Â° below the horizon), and full night.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:59am on June 13 and the latest sunset is at 8:28pm on June 27. The latest sunrise is at 7:34am on November 3 and the earliest sunset is at 5:01pm on December 6.

Daylight savings time (DST) is observed in this location during 2012, starting in the spring on March 11 and ending in the fall on November 4.

Daily Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Savings Time

The solar day over the course of the year 2012 . From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (solar, civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight savings time are indicated by the "DST" labels.

Clouds

The median cloud cover ranges from 25% (mostly clear) to 44% (partly cloudy). The sky is cloudiest on January 8 and clearest on November 11. The clearer part of the year begins around March 18. The cloudier part of the year begins around December 9.

Median Cloud Cover

The median daily cloud cover (black line) with percentile bands (inner band from 40th to 60th percentile, outer band from 25th to 75th percentile).

On November 11, the clearest day of the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy68% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy32% of the time.

On January 8, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is overcast, mostly cloudy, or partly cloudy51% of the time, and clear or mostly clear49% of the time.

Cloud Cover Types

The fraction of time spent in each of the five sky cover categories. From top (most blue) to bottom (most gray), the categories are clear, mostly clear, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, and overcast. Pink indicates missing data. Outside of the United States clear skies are often reported ambiguously, leading them to be lumped in with the missing data.

Precipitation

The probability that precipitation will be observed at this location varies throughout the year. Precipitation is most likely around July 22, occurring in 51% of days. Precipitation is least likely around October 28, occurring in 30% of days.

Probability of Precipitation at Some Point in the Day

The fraction of days in which various types of precipitation are observed. If more than one type of precipitation is reported in a given day, the more severe precipitation is counted. For example, if light rain is observed in the same day as a thunderstorm, that day counts towards the thunderstorm totals. The order of severity is from the top down in this graph, with the most severe at the bottom.

Over the entire year, the most common forms of precipitation are light rain, thunderstorms, and moderate rain.

Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 39% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around January 3, when it is observed during 21% of all days.

Thunderstorms are the most severe precipitation observed during 33% of those days with precipitation. They are most likely around July 25, when it is observed during 34% of all days.

Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 14% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around January 29, when it is observed during 7% of all days.

Types of Precipitation Throughout the Year

Relative frequency of various types of precipitation over the course of a typical year.

During the warm season, which lasts from May 26 to September 19, there is a 46% average chance that precipitation will be observed at some point during a given day. When precipitation does occur it is most often in the form of thunderstorms (59% of days with precipitation have at worst thunderstorms), light rain (24%), moderate rain (9%), and heavy rain (7%).

During the cold season, which lasts from December 5 to February 28, there is a 38% average chance that precipitation will be observed at some point during a given day. When precipitation does occur it is most often in the form of light rain (52% of days with precipitation have at worst light rain), moderate rain (19%), heavy rain (13%), and thunderstorms (7%).

Warm Season Precipitation

Cold Season Precipitation

Relative frequency of various types of precipitation during the warm and cold seasons respectively.

Snow

The likelihood of snow falling is highest around February 2, occurring in 3% of days.

Probability of Snow Fall Being Reported in a Given Day

Probability that snow will be reported at least once in a given day. The season is defined as the period during which the probability is greater than one third the maximum probability.

Either snow rarely accumulates at this location or snow depth measurements are unavailable or unreliable.

Humidity

The relative humidity typically ranges from 41% (comfortable) to 95% (very humid) over the course of the year, rarely dropping below 23% (dry) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid).

The air is driest around April 11, at which time the relative humidity drops below 52% (mildly humid) three days out of four; it is most humid around August 20, exceeding 93% (very humid) three days out of four.

Relative Humidity

The average daily high (blue) and low (brown) relative humidity with percentile bands (inner bands from 25th to 75th percentile, outer bands from 10th to 90th percentile).

Dew Point

Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.

Over the course of a year, the dew point typically varies from 26Â°F (dry) to 76Â°F (very muggy) and is rarely below 9Â°F (dry) or above 79Â°F (oppressive).

There are two periods in the year that are most comfortable: The first is between March 11 and May 18 and the second is between October 4 and December 2. The air feels neither too dry nor too muggy during these periods.

Wind Speed

The average daily minimum (red), maximum (green), and average (black) wind speed with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile).

The wind is most often out of the south west (16% of the time), north (14% of the time), south (12% of the time), north east (11% of the time), and west (10% of the time).

Wind Directions Over the Entire Year

The fraction of time spent with the wind blowing from the various directions over the entire year. Values do not sum to 100% because the wind direction is undefined when the wind speed is zero.

Fraction of Time Spent with Various Wind Directions

The fraction of time spent with the wind blowing from the various directions on a daily basis. Stacked values do not always sum to 100% because the wind direction is undefined when the wind speed is zero.